The invention is principally directed to the area of medical operations and examination involving human patients. Particularly, the invention is directed to applications involving back surgery or x-ray examination of the back of the patient.
In most humans, the spinal column is curved. The natural curvature of the spine makes back surgery involving the vertebrae difficult since the vertebrae are forced closer together by the curvature. Similarly, the spinal curvature makes x-ray examination difficult because the vertebrae are not aligned in a straight line but rather follow the curvature of the spine.
The ability to maintain the spine in a straight, uncurved position would facilitate back surgery procedures and x-ray examination procedures. However, heretofore, no apparatus for effectively maintaining the spinal column in a straight, aligned position, which apparatus is also essentially transparent or at least substantially transparent to x-rays (i.e. radiolucent), to permit effective x-ray examination of the spinal column has been available.